Follower-block for paper-filing devices.



A. T. WEISS ai P. H. YAWMAN. POLLOWER BLOGK FOB ?AFER PILING DEVICES.

APPLIOATION mmm 11311324; 1907.

- Patented Feb. 14, 1911;

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

.ALBERT T. WEISS ANI) PHILIP H. YAWllIAN, OF ROCHESTER, NEW YORK, ASSIGNORS TO YAWMAN 85 ERBE MANUFACTUBING COMPANY, OF ROCHESTER, NEW YORK, A

CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

FOLLOWER-BLOCK FOR PAPER-FILING DEVICES.

Speefication of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 14:, 1911.

Application filed: June 24, 1907. Serial No. 380,&12.

To all 'whom it may conccrn? Be it known that we, ALBERT T. Wniss and PI-IILIP H. YAWMAN, of the city of Rochester, in the county of Monroe and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improv-ements in Follower- Blocks for Paper-Filing Devices; and we do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference' being had to the accompanying drawings, forining' a part of the specification, and to the referencenumerals marked thereon.

Our present invention relates to document files and kindred devices designed for the purpose of maintaining papers, documents, index 'cards and similar articles in a secure and orderly manner and usually in a vertical position, and it has for its object to provide a follower for use in connection therewith to compress the articles and hold them in the desred manner upon the support or within the receptacle employed, and a securing device, :tor such follower controlled by means readily accessible to the operator and strong and positive in its action, whereby the follower may be fixed at diflerent relative positions upon the support and thus be adapted to use with varying quantities of papers.

Further objects of our invention are to generally promote the efliciency of a device of this nature, at the same time maintaining its Simplicity of structure and reducing the .cost of production. V

To these and other ends the invention consists in certain improvements and combinations of parts all as will be hereinafter more fully described, the novel features being pointed outin the clains at the end of the specification.

In the drawings: Figur-e 1 is a longitudinal central sectional view of a filing receptacle and follower therefor embodyingour improvements. rear View of the follower, showing the clamping device in rear elevation and the track or guide in section. Fig. 3 is a vertical section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4: is a horizontal section on the line 4-4 of Fig. 2, and Fig. 5 is a bottom plan View of the elamp showing the arrangement of the track or guide engagng portions.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary Similar reference numerals in the several figures indicate similar parts.

In devices of the character indicated, it is desirable that the contro-l of the securing means be readily accomplished by the fingers of the operator at the same time the top of the follower is grasped to move it within the receptacle and preferably by substantially the same movement. To this end we employ two relatively movable members engaging upon opposite sides of the track or guiding element, which is clamped between them by the action of a lever arrang ed at the top of the follower board and having a short range of movement in a plane extending in the direction of movement of the follower.

Beferring now to the drawings, in which similar reference numerals indicate similar parts, l represents a receptacle and, in the present instance, a drawer such as is used for the filing of papel-s and 2 is a follower block or board for preserving the order and arrangement of a varying number of such articles placed therein and holding them in vertical position, said follower being movable longitudinally of the receptacle and provided preferably with a cut-away portion 3 at the top. On the bottom tof the receptacle is arranged a track or guide 5 which we have shown, in the present instance, to comprise a metal strip arranged in a groove or channel 6 and having its lateral edges doubled over to form horizontal but separate fianges 7. On the rear side of the follower is secured as by the screws 8 an angular plate or member 9 extending rearwardly from the face thereof, and having a forward projection 10 seated in a kerf in the bottom of the follower as a further connection and to provide means for properly spacing the follower from the bottom of the receptacle in assenbling. The projecting portion of this plate is bent at its lower end to form lateral extensions 11 engaging upon the under sides of the flanges 7 of the track or guide Extending upon opposite sides of the member 9 is a U-shaped plate 12 similarly providedwith extensions 13 which bear uponthe top of the flanges 7 of the track. These two plates are joined posed portion of the plate 12 and through Slots 16 in the intermediate portion 10 of the plate 9 forming guides. The upper end of the member 9 projects above the corresponding portion of the member 12 and is provided with a horizontal slot 17 and a laterally projecting fiange 18 arranged adjacent thereto, preferably by forming up the material partially removed in cutting the slot. Pivoted on the pin 14 to operate toward and from. the follower and in the direction of movement of the latter, is a lever 19 comprising parallel arms extending upon opposite sides of both of the members 9 and 12 and a finger piece 20 arranged opposite the cutaway portion 3 of the follower. Extending between the arms of the lever is a pin or member 21 projectng within and tting closely the slot 17 in the member 9, which slot is preferably so arranged as to offer an abutment at one end to prevent the pin from moving beyond the perpendicular of the pivotal center in one (preferably the rearward) direction. The upper end of the plate 9 is offset to permit the accommodation of the fiange 18 between the arms of the lever, as shown in Fig. 2.

`When the parts are in the position shown in Fig. 3, that is, with the lever extending angularly toward the follower, the pin 21 being the fulcrum, is at the forward end of the slot 17 at its lowermost horizontal plane of movement and the member 12 is raised by the arms of the lever, the extensions 13 being out of contact with the track permitting the follower to be moved freely within the receptacle. Upon the lever being moved rearwardly the pin 21 slides in the slot 17 in engagement with the fiange or projection 18 forcing the extensions do-wnwardly into firm engagement with the track, in opposition to the reactionary pressure of the eX- tension 11 of the plate 9, the limit of movement being reached when the pin is above the pivotal connection ll or in its highest horizontal plane of movement and abutting the end of the slot, which prevents it from again lowering and releasing the parts.

It will be observed that the lever or controlling means for the clamping devices is actuated in the same direction in which the follower slides and can be oper-ated by practically the same movement, while the fact of its pivotal point being high with reference to the follower and its range of movement short, it is at all times within easy reach of the fingers of the operator on the hand with which the follower is at the same time being manipulated. In addition to this, the lever can never be aifected by an engagement with the rear wall of the receptacle as the clamping members will first come in engagement therewith upon continued rearward movement and still allow the lever room for operation.

W e claim as our nvention:

1. In a securing device .for followers, the combination with a receptacle having a track or guide in the bottom thercof, and a follower movable in the receptacle, of a vertically extending plate secured to the follower to project at an anglc from one face thereof and engaging upon one side of the track, a second plate arranged adjacent to the first to eXtend longitudinally thereof and engaging upon the opposite side of the track, vertical guides for the movable member and a lever having its plane of movement extending in the same direction as the track pivoted to one of the members and engaging the other to eifect their relative movement.

2. In a securing device for followers, the combination with a receptacle having a track or guide in the bottom thereof, and a follower movable in the receptacle, of a plate, provided with a slot, secured to the follower to extending angularly thereto and engaging upon one side of the track, a member movable relatively to said plate and engaging upon the opposite side of the track and a lever having its plane of movement extending in the direction or" the track, pivoted to the member and provided with a projection extending .within the Slot in the plate.

3. In a securing device for followers, the combination with a receptacle having a track or guide in the bottom thereof and a follower movable in the receptacle, of a member secured to the follower, and engaging upon one side of the track, a 'second member movable relatively to the first engaging upon the opposite side of the track, one of said members being provided with aslot and a fiange arranged adjacent thereto, and a lever pivoted to the other member having a projection eXtending within the slot and adapted to engage the fiange when the lever is operated.

4. In a securing device for followers, the combination with a receptacle having a track or guide in the bottom thereof and a follower movable in the receptacle, of a plate secured to the follower to extend angularly therefrom and engagng upon one side of the track, a U-shaped plate movable relatively thereto eXtending on opposite sides thereof and engaging upon the opposite side of the track and a lever pivoted to one of said plates and engaging the other to efi'ect their relative movement.

5. In a securing device for followers, the combination with a receptacle having a tracker guide in the bottom thereof and a i follower movable in the receptacle, of a vertically extending plate secured to the follower to project at an angle from one face thereof and having an end portion engaging upon one side of the track, a second plate arranged adjacent to the first to extend longitudinally thereof and engaging upon the opposite side of the track, one of said members being provided With a vertical slot, a pin on the other extendng within said elot to guide the members during their relative movement and means for niovin the members relatively.

6. In a securing devce for followers, the combination With a receptacle having a track ol' guide in the bottom thereof and a follovver movable in the receptaole, of a plate Secured to the follower and enmp'ing upon one side of the track, a U-shaped plate arranged to eXtend upon opposite sides thereof and a lever having arms extencling upon opposte sides of both members pivoted to one of them and engagng the other to move them relatively.

7. In a securing device for :folloWers the combination With a receptacle having a track or guide in the bottom thereof and a follower movable in the receptacle, of a member carried on the real* face of the folloWer and engagng upon one side of the track, a second member movable relatively to the first and engaging upon the opposi te 

